Reading Eighth Grade Bites
by killerninja123
Summary: One day Vlad was studding in his dorm and five mysterious books appeared. Now . He and all of his friends and uncle are going to read his first adventure Eighth Grade Bites. T just in case
1. Chapter 1

**Killerninja123: Hope you like the chapter!**

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><p>Collage was going well for young Vladimir Todd. He is able pass his classes and he gets to spend time with Snow and Henry. One day when Vald was in his room doing his homework, five books appeared. Vald frowned. He wlkaed up to the books and picked it up. One of the books has a title called 'Eighth Grade Bites.'<p>

"Henry." Vald called. "I need you to see this."

"What is it this time?" Henry asked. "Is it a book about werwolvees again?"

"No, this is different." Vald replied

Vald handed the books to Henry. Henry flip through the pages for a few minutes. Then Henry's eyes widen. He drop the books. Vlad step back a little and then he walked up to Henry slowly.

"Henry, what's wrong?" Vald asked

"Go get, Joss and the girls." Henry said

"Why?"

"Just get them!"

"Alright, alright, jeez."

Vlad stormed outof his dorm. He went in the elevator and press the button. A few minutes later he arrived to the fourth flour. He ran in the hallway and knocked on the door. The door open and there Vald saw his is friend, Meredith Brookstone, Joss, October, and his girlfriend Snow.

"Hey, Vlad." Snow said. "Is there something wrong."

"Henry needs you guys." Vlad replied as he gasped for air. "Just come with me and see."

Five minutes later they were at Vlad's dorm. Henry was still staring into space. The books were still on the floor. Vlad picked them up and flip through some pages. Vald's eyes wide. He saw his name, Nelly's, Otis, Henry, Meredith's, his mom, Tomas, and the other evil vampires. He look at the fith book, 'Twelfth Grade Kills.' Vlad turn some pages and he found all of the name of all the people he knew. Vlad's mouth drop. Then the door open. There he saw his, uncle Otis Otis.

"Hello, everyone," He said. "What's going on?"

"Uncle Otis, look." Vald said as he handed the book to his uncle.

Otis looked at the books. His eyes widen in amazed.

"Where did you get this, Vladimir?" Otis asked

"The books just appeared." Vlad replied

Otis nodded. He closed the door and locked it.

"Everyone sit down." Otis ordered.

Everyone sat down. Otis pass the five books around so everyone can see. Everyone was shock and amazed about these books.

"Isn't these books are about you, Vlad?" Joss asked

Vlad nodded. "Yes, I think so."

"It's in third person." Henry said

"Who should read?" Snow asked

"I think, Vlad should read," Otis replied. "These books are about him."

Everyone nodded. Snow handed the book first book to Vlad. Vald looked at the book. He was cautious. He didn't want anyone to hear his thoughts, but he has no choice. He wonder what would Snow react about Meredith who used to like him. He wonder about Joss. He wondered about almost everything.

Vlad sigh. "Alright, let's read."

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><p><strong>Killerninja123: Plz Review!<strong>


	2. Where's the boy

**Killerninja123: Hope you like the chapter! WARNING: Characters may be OC!**

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><p><strong>"Chapter 1: Where is the boy<strong>." Vlad read. "Oh great. They were after me before you came, Otis."

"This might not be a good chapter." Henry said

"Oh, jee, what do you think, cuz?" Joss asked

"Vlad continue." Snow said

**A tree branch slapped John Craig **

"Hey, this is when before he disappeared." Henry mentioned

Vlad and Meredith nodded

"This might explain what happen to him," Otis said

**across the face, scraping his skin, but he kept on running and ignored the stabbing of pine needles on his bare feet. **

"Ugh, how can he ignore that?" October asked

Henry shugged

**He could hear the man's footsteps behind him, echoing his own.**

**The man was getting closer.**

Vlad turn pale. He thinks he knew what happen to his english teacher. He doesn't want to find out, but he will anyway. He thinks it is his fault.

**A fallen branch grabbed John's ankle **

"Ouch." Joss said

**and he fell forward. Time slowed to a crawl as his face neared the leaf-covered ground. Cold air whipped across his skin. His heart drummed in his ears. The man's pace quickened and just as John's cheek smacked against the earth, the stranger grabbed a fistful of John's hair and pulled his head back. **

Vlad clench his fists. He wished he'll find that vampire and kill him into really tiny pieces.

**John screeched, "What do you want from me?" but his attacker didn't answer.**

**John swung his arms behind him to knock the man down, **

"I doubt that work." Joss and Otis said

**but his hands were caught effortlessly in the air and bound behind him. A hand, gloved in shiny black leather, entered his field of vision, clutching a torn page from the _Bathory Gazette_. **

"He shouldn't have brought that with him." Vlad said

**John's head jerked back as the man gave his hair a violent tug and growled, "Where is he?"**

"He's right here." Henry answered the book.

"Henry this was four years ago." Vlad said. "You're talking to a book."

**At the center of the paper was the grainy image of a thirteen-year-old boy John knew well. **

"Of course he knew me well." Vlad muttered. "He was the best teacher."

**The boy was surrounded by several of his peers and a teacher, but looked nervous, awkward. **

"I do not look nervous and awkward!" Vlad shouted

"Actually you do." Henry said

Otis, Meredith, Snow, October, and Joss nodded. Vlad cross his arms.

**At the bottom of the photo, it read, "Left to right: Kelly Anbrock, Carrie Anderson, Henry McMillan, **

"YES! I'm mentioned!" Henry shouted

**Jonathan Craig, Vladimir Tod, **

Vlad smiled. He remember that picture

**Edgar Poe, **

Vlad, Otis, Henry, and Joss clench their fists.

"Does he have to be mentioned?" Henry asked in annoyance

**Mike Brennan." At the top was a bold title: _Debate Team Sure to Win at Regionals_!**

**Tears coated John's cheeks and he shook his head, refusing to answer.**

"I guess he knew they were looking for you." Joss said

Vlad nodded

**Something warm and slick ran down John's forehead. Through red tinted glass, he looked at the forest around them. He screamed for help until his lungs burned, but help wouldn't come. "Where's the boy? Where's Vlad?"**

**John wriggled. The man's face was near his. Cold breath beat down on the back of his neck and something sharp grazed against his skin.**

**"Tell me or die."**

"He should save himself." Vlad whispered

**John opened his mouth to speak, but it was too late for lies. **

"So he was going to lie to them." Otis said

**The man bit down. Fangs popped through John's skin, cutting deep into his neck.**

The dorm went quiet.

"That was frighting." Meredith shuddered

"Very discribted." October said

"Who wants to read the next chapter?" Vlad asked

"I will!" Henry answered excitedly.

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><p><strong>Killerninja123: Plz Review!<strong>


	3. author's note!

**Author's note!**

**Hey, guys srry that you guys have to wait for a while for the next chapter, but I had to out the first book on hold in the library. Right now I'm on hold #1 and the person is seriously reading very slow. I'll try to find a website that does have all of the chapters of Eighth Grade Bites. If you know a website that has all of the chpters plz tell me. I'll look for the book as fast as I can!**

**-Killerninja123**


	4. Halloween

**Killerninja123: Hope you like the chapter! **

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><p><strong>"Chapter 2: Halloween." <strong>Henry read and smiled. "I remember this!"

"Really? I don't." Vlad said sarcastically.

"Don't be grumpy Vladdy." Henry teased.

"Never called me 'Vladdy!'" Vlad shouted

"But I call you Vladdy." Snow protested.

"That's becaues your my girlfriend." Vlad answered nervously. "If Henry called me that in public, that'll be wierd, but if you called me that in public, then that's different becaues we're a couple."

Vlad gave her smiled. Snow nodded in understatment.

Henry elbow him. "Nice save."

**Vlad turn to the side, admiring his image in the mirror with a smirk. Henry was going to lose it when he saw Vlad's costume.**

"Let me guess." Snow said. "You're a vampire?"

"Maybe." Vlad said with a sly smile

"He is." Henry answered

"Dude, your not supposed to tell her!" Vald shouted

"You called that a costume?" October questioned. "You're already a vampire, why would you dress up like one?"

"It's Vlad, October." Henry replied. "He'll just dress up of what he is right now."

"You should dress up something else than a vampire, Vlad." Snow said

"I do!" Vald shouted. "I actually dress something else than a vampire. I dress up something cool in my freshmen year."

"Uh-huh." Henry muttered

Vlad glared at Henry.

**They hadn't discussed what they were dressing up as, **

"Of course." Otis said

**but the pathetic black nylon cape and plastic fangs that Vlad had picked up at the Stop & Shop last weekend were sure to be the running gag of the evening between them. He brushed his black hair from his eyes and slipped the plastic teeth into his mouth. They fit perfectly over his own fangs,**

"Of course they do!" Otis said. "Our fangs fit the plastic ones just fine without no problem. No one wouldn't even notice if those were real or fake!"

**which were protruding slightly, despite his large dinner.**

**Not an hour before, Aunt Nelly**

Everyone's head boed for the loss of Nelly

**had warmed two sizable steaks until the blood dripped from the raw meat. He'd restrained himself from picking up the steaks with his bare hands and ripping into them, **

"Let me guess, manners." October said

"No." Vlad said

**but only because Aunt Nelly insisted on manners. **

October laugh. "Beat that vamp fang!"

**So even though it gonized him to do so, he took his time, cutting the steaks into medium-size bites and sucking the juices into his hungry mouth before dropping the dry, tasteless meat onto his plate**

"Ewwwww." Meredith said

"You get use to it." Henry said

"That's awsome!" Snow and October shouted

**He pulled the fake teeth out of his mouth and examined the sharp points of his fangs. "Aunt Nelly, you'd better get a snack pack ready."**

"Snack pack?" Joss asked

"Blood bags." Vald replied

"I thought you feed on people." Joss said

"Dude, do I have to say this many time?" Vlad questioned him. "I'm half and half! I don't feed on people."

**"But you just ate," **

"Better be safe than sorry." Otis said

**came a lilting voice from the bottom of the stairs. "Oh well, better safe than sorry, **

"Uncle Otis, your sounding like Nelly now." Vlad said

"I think her personality is on him." Henry whispered. "Should we run?"

Vlad glared at Henry. "No!"

**I suppose. What time will Henry be here?"**

**"Any minute." Satisfied with his costume, Vlad turned from the mirror. The old floorboards creaked beneath his sneakers. He kissed his fingers and pressed them to the frame on his dresser. In the photo, his mother **

Vlad smiled.

**was poised on the edge of an old Victorian chaise, with his father **

Vlad glared at the book when it mentioned his father.

**standing behind her, his pale hands on her shoulders. **

"Get your vampire hands off of my mom, you bastard!" Vlad shouted

then everyone looked at him. Vlad smiled sheepishly

"Sorry." Vlad apologized

**They were smiling at the camera, and Vlad found himself smiling back at them. He opened the top drawer and stuffed ten dollars from his secret box into his pocket. **

"Can I have your secret box?" Henry asked

"No!" Vlad rpelied

**Partying with Henry had taught him one thing above all else: be prepared.**

Henry smiled. "Good thing I taught you a lot."

"Yeah." Vlad said agreeing with him.

"Boys." Meredith, Snow and October said shaking their heads

**Vlad left his bedroom and made his way down the stairs. Aunt Nelly stood at the bottom, holding up a plastic container covered with Saran Wrap. He could see the deep red, slushy contents through the wrap and licked his lips. "Did you microwave it? It's better warm."**

"Really?" Joss asked

"What?" Vlad questioned him. "I like when my blood bags are warm. It's good for cookies."

**"It's warm enough." She handed it to him and widened her eyes in disgust as he bit through the Saran Wrap and slurped. "Use a spoon! You'll get it all over the rug and I just had it cleaned. Between that rug and your T-shirts, the dry cleaner thinks we're either accident-prone or ax murderers. **

Everyone laugh at that part. Nelly sometimes has a sence of humor.

**And take it easy on the snack packs tonight, Mr. Midnight Feeder. **

"I like the nickname." October said

"You better not use that." Vlad threaten her

**There are only two left. I'd better bring some more blood bags from the hospital tonight**

"She get's blood bags from the hospital?" Joss and Meredith questioned Vlad

"Yes." Vlad replied. "Not from a real human. Just hospital bags. No harm done."

**and fix up enough for the rest of the week."**

**"Could you get O positive this time? That's my favorite." **

"Do you know what it taste like in human blood?" Joss asked

"Joss!" Vlad shouted. "No I don't!"

"Cuz, shut up." Henry siad

**She nodded and he smiled, brushing past her to the kitchen. He was spooning a big, sweet glob of half-frozen blood into his mouth when the doorbell rang. With a hurried swallow, he dropped the empty container into the biohazard box beneath the sink and popped the plastic fangs over his shrinking canines. With careful steps, he snuck over to the wall just to the right of the archway and peeked over at the front door, where his aunt was greeting Henry with a hug.**

"I miss her hugs." Henry said

"me too." Vlad said

"I do too." Otis said. "She was about to be my wife. We could of have children together."

"Now that sounds wierd." Vlad, Henry, and Joss said

**Vlad jumped out from behind the separating wall and held his cheap cape out with both arms. "I vant to suck your blood!"**

Henry started to laugh. So did everyone else.

**Henry doubled over, roaring with laughter. When he straightened, he slapped Vlad on the shoulder. "That's a sweet costume. Check me out. You'll just die." Henry placed his fists on his hips in a pseudo-Superman pose, and when he turned his head, Vlad's jaw dropped at the sight of two small holes on Henry's neck.**

"Victim?" Joss guess

"Yep!" Henry said happily. "That was the best costume ever!"

"It actually was." Vlad said

**"No way." He stepped closer to inspect Henry's bite marks. They were flawless. Vlad had only seen one actual vampire bite on a human before, and Henry's handiwork was very close to the real thing. **

"Seriously?" Joss asked. "Almost the real thing?"

"Do you want me to show you how I did that?" Henry asked.

"Nope." Joss replied

"Chicken." Henry muttered

**"What did you use?"**

**"Silly Putty and raspberry jam."**

"Really?" Joss laughed

"Hey it worked." Henry snapped

**"Seedless?"**

"Well, duh. Can't have seeds in my wound. Might get infected." Joss said

**"Well, duh. Can't have seeds in my wound. Might get infected."**

Everyone laugh.

"Wow, Henry, you just repeated yourself." Vlad laugh

**Aunt Nelly regarded Vlad with a concerned glance over the top of her glasses. "Did you get enough to eat?"**

**Vlad nodded, stuffed a tube of his sunscreen into his pocket, and opened the door. "Party's over at midnight."**

**Nelly held out her hand. "You won't need that. I want you home by eleven."**

**"Eleven?" At times, Nelly could be ridiculously overprotective. **

Vlad nodded agreeing with himself

**Vlad rolled his eyes and dug the tube back out, slapping it into Nelly's hand. "But no one else will be leaving early, and besides, at midnight there's supposed to be some big surprise."**

"And it was true!" Vlad said

**Nelly looked at Henry for confirmation. He nodded enthusiastically. "We can't miss it."**

**"Well . . ." **

"Please! Please, please! Puuuleeease!" Henry begged

"Dude, you remember what her answer was?" Vlad asked

"Um. . .no," Henry replied.

**She bit her lip in contemplation, and after what seemed like an eternity, she sighed. "All right, but stick together, and if you get hungry, give me a call on my cell. I'll be at Deb's until late."**

Then Henry made a "Oh" mouth. Now he remembers

**Henry nudged Vlad with his elbow. "Matthew called me earlier, said Meredith will be there."**

Snow started to growl a little at Meredith.

**Vlad shot him a look that screamed "shut up," **

"At least you didn't squeal like a little girl." Henry joked

Then Vlad smack him on the back of the head

**and they bounded out the door, vampire and victim. Nelly called after them, "Be careful, boys."**

**Other than the fake wound, Henry was dressed as he normally was, with a pair of ratty-looking sneakers on his feet. He gave Vlad a sly glance. "Big thing at midnight, huh?"**

**Vlad shrugged and adjusted the cape around his shoulders. "I'm a creature of the night, for God's sake. And she wants me home by eleven? I don't think so. Why doesn't she just follow me to the party and kiss me good-bye?"**

**"Hey, don't knock it. If it weren't for Nelly, you'd never get kissed."**

Henry snickered a little remembering this converation.

**Vlad slowed his steps. "Like you've got room to talk."**

**Henry shrugged. "I've kissed plenty of girls."**

"You know he ment not your mom right?" Otis asked

"Yeah." Henry said

**"I'm not talking about your mom, dork." They turned down Elm, and at the end of the street, Vlad could see cars stopping in front of Matthew's house. A blur of people moved from vehicle to house, and Vlad felt a twinge of nervousness settle into his muscles. The headlights from one of the cars that had been in front of Matthew's house turned toward them, blinding Vlad temporarily.**

**Henry had shoved his hands into his front pockets and was walking with his attention keenly focused on the sidewalk. "Neither am I. I'm talking about girls like Carrie Anderson and Stephanie Brawn."**

**"Stephanie will kiss anyone."**

"Tht's true." All the collage students said

**"Yeah. I know." Henry's smile returned. "Her sister's cute, though."**

"DUDE!" Joss and Vlad shouted

"Henry!" October shouted

"Shut up!" Henry shouted back

**Vlad raised an eyebrow, half chuckling. "Dude, that's gross. She just turned twelve."**

"Oh my god, Henry!" October shouted as she glared at him

Henry gulped

**"So?" Henry grinned broadly**

"SO?" Octovber questioned him. "That's all you can say? 'So!'"

**"So you'll be fourteen in like two months. It's gross." **

"I agreed with Vlad here." Octovber said.

the others agree too.

"Oh my god, it was like four years ago!" Henry protested

"But it's still gross, cuz." Joss said

**Vlad shook his head and looked down at his right shoe, where his toe was poking through a tear.**

**Impossibly, Henry's grin broadened. "She's nice."**

"HENRY!" October shouted

**"Whether or not a girl will kiss you isn't a measure of how nice she is." Ahead, Vlad could see the hint of a soft blue sweater and angel wings disappearing into Matthew's front door. **

Meredith blushed. Snow glared at Vlad and Meredith

**Meredith. **

Then Snow's fangs appeared. Vlad shuddered and started praying.

**He'd overheard her in third period yesterday gushing over what she planned to wear. It was that moment that he'd decided to accept the invitation to the party, last-minute or not.**

**"So what is, Einstein?"**

**Vlad stopped in his tracks. Henry had stopped walking as well and tilted his head with a curious gleam in his eye. Vlad nodded and said, "Girls that make out in the back of the band room aren't nice."**

**"I never told you it was the band room." Henry furrowed his brow and grabbed Vlad's shoulder for a second, lowering his voice so eavesdroppers couldn't hear. "Dude, don't do that freaky mind-reading stuff. I hate that."**

"I still do today." Henry said

"I know." Vlad smirked. "it's fun reading you 'evil' little thoughts."

"Vlad make sure give me some updates on Henry's thoughts." October said

"No problem." Vlad said

**Vlad shrugged and kept walking.**

**Henry nudged Vlad with his elbow and gestured to a group of three trick-or-treaters in front of them with a nod. "Want some candy?"**

**"I shouldn't. Nelly's still ticked about last year." **

Vlad and Henry smiled about that part. It was funny

"What happen on that day?" Snow asked

"Henry gave me a giant bag of candy." Vlad said

"How big?" Otis asked

"A bag that can fill up a trash can." Vlad answered and conitue the story. "then before Nelly got home. We ate the candy at my place over the night. We ate so much, that we got sugar high. Henry was talking very fast like the chipmunch movie and I was talking very fast and eating the candy the same time. Then we went outside and I carried Henry and we hovered together. We couldn't stop talking very fast because we were still eating candy then."

Henry laugh. "That was cool and funny!"

"Anyway, Nelly got home and saw there was candy everywhere in the house." Vlad continue. "She called for us and she went outside. She saw us eating more candy on the roof. Then she got very furious at us and told Henry's mom what happen (leaving the vampire details out). Then we got into huge troiuble and we both got grounded."

Everyone started laughing.

**Vlad shoved his hands in his pockets and looked from his best friend to the kids on the sidewalk. "You know, those kids told their parents they were attacked by a vampire. And that idiot Officer Thompson started asking my aunt all sorts of questions. If people find out about me, about what I am . . ."**

"Don't worry, Vlad." October said. "We boths think it's cool. We know there's good and bad vampires, except the slayers though. They're a bunch of idiots. No offence Joss."

"None, taken." Joss said. "I learn my lesson. Find out which one is a good vampire and which ones are evil."

**"Oh, come on." Henry had stepped in front of him, partially blocking Vlad's view of the receding fourth graders. Two were dressed as superheroes of some sort. The third wore the same cape that Vlad had on. "It'll be funny. Besides, if you don't do it . . . I'm totally telling Meredith that you like her." Henry turned away and wrapped his arms around himself, making kissing sounds.**

Then on cue, Henry did the same thing like his book self

"Dude! not cool!" Vlad shouted

**Vlad seethed. "Dude! Not cool!"**

Henry chuckled. "Looks like I'm not the only one to repeat myself."

**The grin on Henry's face made it clear that he wasn't about to let a good gag go without a fight. With a shaking head, Vlad relented. "If we get caught you owe me big-time."**

"Really big time." Vlad said

**Henry beamed. "And I did that without any of the special powers normally associated with best friends of the undead."**

"I'm still not sure how can you be okay with this." Joss said

"Got used to it." Henry said. "Once you get to know Vlad he's really a nice guy, unlike those other stuck up, evil, killing vamps."

**Henry stepped to the side and Vlad moved past him, ducking through the tall bushes that lined the sidewalk. Vlad ran as quietly as he could until he stood half a block ahead of his costumed victims. After shimmying up an old oak tree, the bark rough on his hands as he climbed, Vlad scooted out onto a long, thick branch and waited for the fourth graders while Henry stayed in the bushes. He could feel Henry's approving eyes on him and had to stifle a chuckle.**

**As the superheroes and their vampire comrade approached the tree Vlad was perched in, their fingers clutching pillowcases filled with sugary treats. Vlad popped the plastic fangs out and stuffed them in his front pocket. He let his imagination wander a bit, through rivers of blood and hunger that screamed to be satiated.**

"Huh, you use your hunger to scare kids." Snow said

**Touching the tip of his tongue to his newly exposed fangs, he leaned forward until his feet slipped from the branch. Wind brushed his hair back from his face as he descended and then, with a flicker of concentration, Vlad willed his body forward. Arms outstretched, his fangs exposed, his throat releasing a low, guttural growl, he floated closer to the boys until he was just above their heads, and screamed.**

Henry started laughing. "You all should seen their faces!"

**The superheroes dropped their pillowcases and bolted in a blur of capes and shrieking terror. The vampire was left behind, staring up at Vlad in a horrified moment that dragged on forever. Vlad screamed again and so did the boy, **

Then everyone started laughing.

**finally relinquishing his hold on the bag. He was frozen to the spot. Vlad wondered if he would ever run away**

**Vlad could hear the boy's heart pounding against his ribs, a loud thunder echoing through his mind. He heard the whoosh of rushing blood and felt the boy's tightened panic in his own chest. Then, in a blink, Vlad saw himself floating down, cheap plastic cape fluttering behind him, bright, sharp fangs shining in the streetlight.**

"You can fly?" Joss asked amazed

"Hovered." Vlad corrected him. "Not fly. Do I have to say this a million of times, Joss? I'm half."

**The urge to wet his pants was undeniable, but what would Mark and Todd think if they saw? But then why should he care what they thought. They were mean jerks and had run away without him. And when they found out he was dead the next day, they'd feel awful and deserved to.**

**Vlad blinked again, squeezing his eyes tight and opening them once more. His feet came to rest on the ground in front of the boy. He'd read the little vampire's thoughts without even trying. Vlad whispered, "You should get home now," which seemed to be the magic words required to release the boy's feet from where they'd been cemented into the sidewalk. The boy ran past him, the pitter-patter of his steps quieting as he shrank down the street in the direction his companions had gone.**

Henry roared with laughter remembering this event

**Henry burst from the bushes, cackling wildly, and snatched one of the fallen pillowcases from the pavement.**

**"Did you see his face? I thought he was going to wet himself." He dug out a pack of peanut-butter cups and tore open the orange wrapper, Stuffing one of the cups into his mouth, he held the other out to Vlad.**

**Vlad lifted the sweet chocolate to his lips and bit, his fangs shrinking back in his moment of confusion. The candy melted in his mouth, but he found little pleasure in it.**

"I think I know what to give you for Chirstmas." Snow said

"What?" Vlad asked

"Chocolate." Snow replied

**Henry ran ahead, calling over his shoulder for Vlad to hurry. Vlad picked up the little vampire's bag and ran to catch up just as Henry was stepping onto the porch of Matthew's house. Music was blaring from the open door, and flecks of colored lights hit the porch from inside. Matthew's mom greeted them with laughter. "Well, come on in, you evil dudes! The party's started and it's totally rockin'!"**

"Seriously?" all of the collage students asked

**Vlad and Henry exchanged looks. It was both sad and annoying when adults tried to act cool. **

"Yeah, it is." Henry said

**Without comment, they walked inside. The living-room furniture had been pushed back against the walls, and a large, mirrored disco ball was suspended from the ceiling. Bursts of fog occasionally covered the floor with a hiss. Vlad counted twenty of his school-mates before he gave up trying to figure out how many were there, but not before he noticed Meredith **

Then Snow glared at Meredith.

**standing near the punch bowl at the opposite end of the room, giggling with several of her girlfriends.**

**Henry nudged him and said something, but Vlad couldn't hear over the loud music, **

"I said that I'll try and hook you up for a dance with her." Henry said

Joss cleared his throut.

Henry chuckled. "Sorry pal, your not in this yet, but feel free to be jealous though."

**so he nodded and watched as Henry was swallowed by the crowd. Left to his own devices, Vlad took an empty spot on the end of the couch and waited for Henry to return. Bill Jensen and Tom Gaiber were moving toward the front door. Vlad shrank into his seat, hoping they wouldn't notice him. Bill looked straight at him and pulled on Tom's sleeve until Tom nearly fell over on top of Vlad. "Oh my God, check this geek out."**

"Can, I drink them, Vlad?" Otis asked

"No!" Vlad replied in a shouted voice

**Tom guffawed. "Nice costume, goth boy."**

"Now?" Otis asked

"Otis!" Vlad shouted

**Vlad glared and turned away. "Nice breath, loser."**

Everyone started snickering at the part.

**Matthew's mom was standing near the door, watching the situation with pity-filled eyes. Vlad wished she'd look away, but she continued to stare as the skinny, pale, unpopular boy was picked on. **

"You know you should dress more cooler clothes." Henry said

"No." Vlad said. "I like my style."

"I do too." Snow said

**He hoped she'd have enough sense not to try to comfort him after they'd gone, or worse, before. To Vlad's relief, Bill and Tom started moving out the door. Then, to rub salt in the wound, Bill yelled as loud as he could, "Bite me!"**

"That bastard!" Snow shouted

"That's not wise." Otis said with a chuckled.

"Did you bite them?" Joss asked

"Joss!" Vlad shouted. "You know me well than that!"

"Sorry."

"Henry continue!" October shouted before anything gets out of hand

**A hot flash shot through Vlad's insides, and in that moment, he was prepared to oblige. He could feel his incisors lengthening, pushing his plastic fangs down, away from his gums. Clamping his mouth shut, **

"Good." Otis said. "At least you used your brain."

**he waited a moment to be certain Bill and Tom had gone, and then stepped out onto the porch and stretched, knowing it would take a few minutes to calm his hunger.**

"Few minutes?" Joss questioned

"Last time was an hour." Vlad replied

**The cool quiet of the wraparound porch was a much-welcome distraction from the party. Bill and Tom's taunts had left him with that uncomfortable, hollow sensation for which the only known cure was a few hours at home, battling evil-doers for the fate of the earth. People could say what they wanted about video games contributing to the delinquency of minors, but Vlad was sure that if Bill and Tom spent more time playing PlayStation, they'd spend far less taunting him.**

**He flopped down on the porch swing and listened to the music pouring out the front door. He was kidding himself if he thought he'd be able to ask Meredith **

Then Snow growled a little

**to the dance. **

The growling grewlouder

**Girls like Meredith Brookstone didn't date boys like Vladimir Tod.**

"Yes I did." Meredith whisper to herself so no one would hear her

**Besides, the hickeys would be a nightmare.**

"Yes, it would." Everyone agreed

**His fangs shrank back, and as he stood, he heard Meredith's voice, **

"When did you stop talking about her? Snow asked in an irritated voice.

Vlad shrugged

**sweet and giggly, coming through the open kitchen window. "Are you asking me out?"**

**Vlad's heart sank into his stomach, then squeezed its way down his leg and popped out of the hole in his shoe, where it struck the floor and broke. That was what it felt like anyway. He snuck over to the window and, holding his breath, peeked inside.**

**Henry was sitting on the kitchen counter, his sneakers dangling. He leaned forward and whispered to Meredith, whose soft brown hair was swept behind each ear. Her lips were pursed in a pout while she listened. Vlad tried not to jump to conclusions, but the sight of Henry's lips moving just inches from Meredith's pretty ear was enough to send his mood plummeting to levels of jealousy **

"You were jealous of _me!" _Henry said in surprsied.

"Yes, dude I was." Vlad said. "but not anymore. I have Snow now."

**he'd not been aware he was capable of experiencing.**

**Henry glanced up at the window. Vlad ducked, but it was too late—**

"Yes, it was." Henry said

**he'd been seen. Moments later Henry was on the porch. "That wasn't what it looked like."**

**Vlad tried to play it cool, **

"Yeah, 'tried' too." Henry said added air quotes.

**to grasp the last remaining thread of dignity he had and come off uncaring and nonchalant. Instead, his voice cracked and a lump formed in his throat. "This was a mistake. Maybe I should just go home."**

**"Already? What about Meredith?"**

Snow sigh in fusteration.

**Vlad hurried ahead, shrugging as he descended the porch steps. "It looked to me like she was in good hands."**

**Henry followed, stopping Vlad with a hand on his shoulder. "You've got it all wrong. I was trying to hook you up for the dance." **

"Yeah, he was." Meredith said

**He looked at Vlad. "You believe me, don't you?"**

**Sure, he believed Henry. But it was hard to ignore the fact that Henry was probably the most crushed-on guy at Bathory Junior High. **

"High school and now collage." Henry added

**At times, the wistful sighs from interested girls as they passed in the hall were deafening. Still . . . this was Henry. If Vlad could trust anyone, it was him.**

"Yes, he does!" Henry said cheerfully

**Vlad managed a smile. "Of course I do." He continued down the steps with Henry following close behind.**

**Henry said, "Did you hear about Mr. Craig?"**

Vlad clenched his fists.

**"What, is he going to be out sick for another week? I don't think I can handle any more of Snelgrove's pop quizzes."**

**Henry slowed his steps. "People are saying he's been declared missing."**

**"No way." Vlad stopped walking for a moment and let it sink in. With concentrated effort, he moved forward and tried to erase the possibilities from his mind. "Does anybody know anything?"**

**Henry had lost the pillowcase, but his front pockets were bulging with candy. "Not really. They say he just up and disappeared."**

**"Yeah." The serious expression Henry wore was replaced by his familiar grin. "Hey, did you see Stephanie's sister in there? She was looking pretty nice."**

"Oh my god!" Everyone shouted excpeted Henry.

"That was like years ago!" Henry protested. "Get over it!"

**Vlad shook his head and turned the corner toward home. "Dude. Seriously. She's twelve."**

Everyone nodded.

"Seriously guys it was like years ago!" Henry said

"We know," Vlad said

"It's just plain gross." October said

"Henry what are we going to do with you?" Joss asked

Will you guys stop!" Henry said. "Otis dated Nelly and he's like a hundred years old!"

"That's becaues he's a vamprie." Meredith said

"Plus we get that part, but not you." Snow said

Henry grumbled. "Who wants to read?"

"I will." Joss said.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" Joss questioned.

"Nothing." Everyone said

"Okay." Joss said awkwardly. Then he turn to Henry. "Give me the book cuz."

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	5. The Hidden Attic

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><p><strong>"Chapter 3: The Hidden Attic." <strong>Joss read.

"Oh that." Vlad said in annoyance

**Vlad rolled out of bed and rubbed his eyes. Careful not to step on Henry, who was still snoring in his sleeping bag on the floor, **

"Shouldn't you give him a mattress or something?" October asked

"No, a sleeping bag was fine for him." Vlad replied

"Except that my back hurt after words." Henry added

**he crossed the room and shut the door behind him, then stepped into the library. From the nearest recessed bookcase, he grabbed a copy of The Theory and Practice of Telepathy **

"Huh, I didn't know vampires make books." Joss said

"There's a lot of things you don't know." Vlad said

**and went downstairs, where the smell of chilled blood and fried bacon greeted him. Mmm . . . the breakfast of champions. **

"Boys." All the girls said

"Hey!" Henry, Vlad, and Joss protested

**Aunt Nelly was at the stove and turned just as he took a seat at the long plank table. "Morning, sunshine."**

Everyone snickered at that last part.

**Vlad blinked at her. "Morning, sulfuric acid." **

"Really?" October said

**"Pardon me?" **

**"Well, isn't it just kinda wrong to call a vampire 'sunshine'?" **

"She has a point." Otis and Snow said

**"Oh. Sorry." She set a juice glass full of cool, deep red liquid in front of him, which he downed while she tapped the book. "Something interesting going on?" Vlad ran the back of his hand across his lips, staining the skin burgundy. "Kinda. I read someone's thoughts last night. Somebody I didn't even know." **

"You should not tell her that." Henry said

"Well sorry I want to!" Vlad said

**Nelly took a seat across from him and sipped her coffee. "I thought you could only read Henry's thoughts."**

"Yeah!" Henry said agreeing with Nelly

**"I thought so, too." ****He scratched his chin and flipped open the book to a page covered with yellow sticky notes. Nelly looked pensive. "Vladimir . . . you didn't . . ." **

Everoyne look at Vlad.

"I didn't!" Vlad protested

"Pravus thing." Otis said

**Vlad scanned the page, only half listening to Nelly. **

"You should listen to her." Otis said

"I do." Vlad said. Then he whisper "Sometimes."

**When he realized what she was implying, his jaw dropped. "No! I wouldn't taste somebody's blood on purpose." **

"Of course you wouldn't." Snow said

**"Except for Henry's, you mean." **

"Can she let that go?" Henry asked

"She still didn't let it go." Vlad said

**Nelly sipped her coffee, eyeing him over her glasses. Vlad rolled his eyes and slid the book closer to him. "Aunt Nelly, I was eight years old. **

"You bit Henry when you guys were eight?" Joss shouted

"Hey, he's the one that said 'Bite me!'" Vlad explained

"Henry!" Joss shouted at him.

"Hey, it was a cool bite afterwords!" Henry said.

**Can we let that one go already?" **

"Yes, can we?" Henry begged

**"Well, you said before that you were only able to read Henry's thoughts after you'd ingested some of his blood. **

"So that's how you become his drudge." Joss said

"This is interesting." Meredith said

**So if you didn't taste this person's blood, how do you suppose you could read his mind?" Her tone was even, but careful. Vlad leaned over the book and perused his various notes, theories, and scribbled thoughts on telepathy. "No idea. But then, it's not like I have an Encyclopedia Vampirica to consult. **

"You the Pravus," Otis said. "You can listen to anyone's thoughts."

"Sweet." October said

**So far, all I have are theories." Nelly nudged a plate of sticky buns toward him and proceeded to cover her own plate with crisp bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. Vlad grabbed one of the sweet pastries and dropped it onto his plate while Nelly refilled his glass with the blood he would need to begin his day. Nelly had never been squeamish when it came to Vlad's diet. **

"Never at all." Vlad said agreeing with himself

**She was a registered nurse and went to great lengths to sneak blood from the hospital for him. **

"Is this illegal?" Joss asked

"Yes." Vlad replied

**Nelly chewed a bit of bacon, watching him with great interest. "So what happened at midnight?" **

**"No clue. We left early." Vlad shrugged. Then, thinking about his overnight guest, he asked, "Is it cool if Henry stays another night? His parents aren't going to be back until Monday afternoon." **

**"So long as you boys can manage to find your way to school in the morning." As if awakened by the mere mention of his name, Henry came bounding down the stairs and burst into the kitchen with a bad case of bed head and a happy, well-rested grin. **

"Oh, good you notcie it too." Joss said

"Notice what?" Henry asked

"Everytime we say your name." Vlad explained. "you just come."

"It's like you can here your name, everytime your far away from us." Joss added

**Aunt Nelly slid him an empty plate, finished her bacon, and placed a kiss on Vlad's forehead. "See you later, boys. I've got a long shift today." Vlad ran his finger thoughtfully along the lip of his glass. "Hey, Nelly, we've got this family tree project in history. I was wondering if you could help me out." She ruffled Henry's hair on her way to the door. "Have you checked the attic? I know your parents had some photo albums up there. They'd be more help than I would." Vlad stared after her, dumbfounded. **

"You never knew you had an attic." October chuckled.

Everyone else did too.

"Shut up!" Vlad shouted

**Nelly sighed. "Honestly, Vladimir, you've lived here for three years **

"Three years, that's long." Joss said

"Shouldn't you realized you had an attic during the three years?" Meredith asked

"I didn't know I had an attic on that time!" Vlad said in annoyance.

**and still don't know about the hidden attic? **

"Yes." Vlad mumbled

**The door to it is a foot from your bed, for goodness' sake! **

"wow, that's close." Joss said

**I thought vampires were supposed to have ultrasensitive powers of intuition." **

"We do." Otis said. "We just don't use it that often."

**Vlad shrugged and picked up another sticky bun. "Don't you think if I had powers of intuition, I'd be doing better in math?" **

"Yes." Everyone answered

**Nelly groaned. "Let's hope you develop that next." **

"Us too." Henry said

Then Vlad smack Henry on the back of his head.

**With the click of the front door, Vlad and Henry were left alone for the day. They finished breakfast and settled down in front of the television, bouncing back and forth between watching cartoons **

"Really?" October asked

"What?" Henry questioned her. "Cartoons are awsome!"

**and saving the world through PlayStation **

"Now that's better." October said

**until morning slipped into the comfort of late afternoon. Henry had already beaten Vlad twice at Race to Armageddon, but on the third round, it looked as if Vlad might be making some headway. The prize, of course, was glory and riches, combined with the godlike status of having been the android to defeat the menacing alien king. But just as Vlad was raising his laser sword to strike the alien king down, Henry hit the turbo button and interrupted the blow with one of his own. Vlad dropped his controller with a groan. "I suck at this game." **

"You suck at all games." Henry laugh

Vlad glared at him.

**"Yeah, but you can fly. I have to be better at something." Henry dropped his controller on the floor beside Vlad's and reached for his open soda can. The floor in front of the beanbag chairs was a battlefield of open potato-chip bags and candy wrappers. Vlad shook his head. "I can't fly. Only hover a little." **

"See?" Vlad said to Joss

**"Fly, hover, whatever . . . it's cool! **

"Fly and hover are not the same." Meredith said

**Plus, if you learn how to turn invisible, just think of the terror you could be in the girls' locker room." **

October flared at she smack Henry on the head, harder than Vlad did.

**Henry wiggled his eyebrows and took another drink. "I wonder if you'll be able to turn into animals and stuff when you get older." At first Vlad thought Henry was kidding, but when he stole a glance at his friend, he noticed that Henry's usually jovial demeanor had turned serious. Vlad shook his head. "That's stupid."**

"Yes it was." Vlad said

"Not for long." Henry said

**"Think about it. In all those old stories and legends, vampires can turn into bats and wolves, and fog and stuff." Henry shrugged at Vlad and dropped his gaze to the carpeted floor between them. "It's possible." **

"See you agreed with me." Henry said

"But I never turned myself into an animal." Vlad pointed out

**Vlad thumbed his controller and tried not to sound too intrigued. It had been something he'd wondered about for some time. "I guess. But I'm not a hundred percent vampire anyway. **

"That's where the slayers didn't know." Joss mentioned.

"They should know more about their info of me." Vlad said

**My mom was human. Remember?" **

Vlad clenched his fists. Even though Tomas is dead, he still wanted to rip him apart of what he did to his mom.

**Henry lowered his voice some and watched Vlad with a careful expression. "You must miss them a lot." **

"Actually only my mom, not you Tomas." Vlad muttered to himself

**"All the time." Vlad held his breath for a second and tried not to give in to the sudden threat of tears that he could feel building up in his eyes. There was never a moment when he wasn't thinking about his father **

Vlad growled.

**and the kind sparkle in his eyes, **

Then Otis growled.

**or the tender way his mother would kiss him on top of his head whenever she walked within a three-foot radius of him. **

Then the growling got more louder than ever.

**Three years without them would have been impossible if it hadn't been for Nelly. **

Vlad nodded agreeing with himself again.

**It didn't matter that they weren't actually related. Nelly and his mother had been closer than sisters and that, in Vlad's mind, made Nelly family. **

Vlad smiled. He like his book self

**"It was weird how they died." Henry unplugged his controller and wrapped the cord around it. **

"Yes it was." Vlad grunted with anger. "And I know how they die."

**"Yeah. People don't normally just up and burst into flames." **

"Unless your a vampire." Vlad said.

**Vlad took on a casual tone, but secretly wished Henry would forget the entire ordeal. He picked up his controller and reached for the console's reset button. **

**"Let's play again, but this time I get to be the blue android." **

**"I'm hungry." **

"Is there anything else you love instead food?" October asked

"I wa hungry back than!" Henry protested. "You should see how video games can make you staring win a sceond!"

**Apparently Vlad wasn't the only one with mind-reading abilities. "There's fried chicken in the fridge." Henry disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a plate of chicken in his hands and a drum-stick in his mouth. **

**"I wuff Newwy's chippen." **

Everyone snickered on that part.

"Her chicken is good." Henry said agreeing with himself.

**Vlad wrinkled his nose, suppressing his growing nausea at the smell of cooked flesh. **

"Huh, you can eat of food, but not cook meat." Joss said

**"Speaking of Nelly . . . I'd better work on that family tree. If I get another D in history, she'll kill me. **

"Yes, she would." Vlad said

**When's it due, anyway?" **

**"Friday." Henry dropped a clean bone on the plate and looked at Vlad. "How much have you done?" Vlad raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Does writing my name at the top of the page count?" **

"Really?" Mereddith asked

"I don't think so." Joss said

**"I don't think so." **

"Dude, stop copying me!" Henry shouted in horror

**"Doesn't matter. I haven't done that yet anyway." **

**It didn't take long to find the hidden door to the attic. Vlad grabbed the flashlight from his dresser and slid in first, with Henry following close behind him. Narrow stairs hugged the wall and curved upward, leading them to the attic room above. At the top, Vlad reached up, hoping a string to a light would be dangling down somewhere nearby. Finding one, he tugged it once and illuminated the room with a soft glow. Henry wrinkled his nose. **

**"Dude, what smells like cat pee?" **

"Your breath maybe?" Otis gussed

**"You mean besides your breath?" **

"Okay, we got to stop repeating ourselves." Vlad said

**"Don't make me get the holy water, Vlad." **

**Boxes lined the walls in various towering stacks. Vlad lugged one of the boxes off a stack and placed it on the floor at Henry's feet. He reached for another, and Henry asked, "What are we looking for exactly?" **

**"Photo albums and birth certificates. And if we're lucky, a family tree." Vlad pulled another box down and crouched on the wood floor. He tore the packing tape away from the seam and flipped open the flaps. The top was filled with nothing of interest. Tax papers, mostly, and the occasional folder of receipts. But toward the bottom Vlad found several shoe boxes overflowing with family photos. He set them to the side and reached for another box.**

**By the tenth box, they'd discovered several photo albums; two small velvet boxes containing his parents' wedding bands; and a leather-bound book with a strange symbol on the front, **

"Vampire symbol." Otis said

"Or the thing that made his eyes turned purple." Henry said

**held securely in place by thick leather straps and two brass locks. Exhausted from the search, Vlad brushed a thin coat of dust from his knees. "I guess these will have to do." **

"Yes, it did." Vlad said. "And it brought my grade up to a C-."

**With a nod, Henry wiped a cobweb from his ear, **

"Gross." All the girls said

**picked up a stack of photo albums, and disappeared into the passageway. Vlad was two steps from joining him when he spotted a cylinder poking out of a small box atop one of the stacks. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand. It was small, no more than six inches long, smooth and completely black, except for the strange gold symbol engraved at one end: three slanted lines slashed across the bottom, encased in what looked like parentheses. **

"So it is the thing that made his eyes turned purple." Henry said

"Or a vamp symbol?" Joss said

"No it's the Lucis thing or whatever it's called." Henry said

**He slid the cylinder into his pocket before turning off the light and making his way down the stairs in the dark. Henry was waiting for him in the bedroom, but before Vlad could show off his curious find, Aunt Nelly called up to them, "I'm home. Who wants hamburgers?" **

"I miss Nelly's hamburgers." Vlad and Henry both said

**They bolted down the stairs, stomachs growling, and proceeded to help Nelly prepare their evening meal. Once the table was set and the fries had come out of the oven, she placed a bottle labeled KETCHUP on the table. When Henry reached for it, she stopped him and handed him a different bottle. "Use this one, dear. That one's for Vlad." **

"You got your own ketchup that has blood in it?" Joss asked

Vlad nodded. "Yeah, I maybe half human and get to eat regular food, but I still have to have blood on it."

**Vlad proceeded to squirt a healthy glob of blood onto his plate, **

"How did she make it like ketchup?" Meredith asked

"It takes a lot of stiring." Vlad replied

**dipped a fry in it, and bit off the end. His hamburger was raw, **

"Of course it is." Everyone said

**a****nd the blood from it had seeped visibly into the bun. He picked it up in both hands, feeling his fangs extend at the scent of it, and tore off a bite. Henry watched in disgust as the blood dripped from Vlad's bun to his plate, **

"You've seen me do that many, many times and you still disguested about it?" Vlad questioned henry

Henry nodded. "Hey, even though I found out about you when we were eight, but I still get gross out by you."

"Even now?"

"Even now."

**but Vlad responded only by chewing. Years of watching Vlad eat had apparently not been enough to keep Henry from getting grossed out. **

"See, even my book self agrees with me!" Henry said

**It was dark outside, but after their meal, the boys settled onto the porch with a drink and watched the stars peek slowly out from behind their velvet-sky blanket. On their way out the door, Nelly had handed Henry one of those juices that come in the foil bags, with the sharp-ended straw poked into one end. She'd handed Vlad a drink of blood in the same manner. They enjoyed their drinks and the lingering sounds of approaching night for several minutes before Vlad spoke. "I wonder who will sub for Mr. Craig. We can't possibly get stuck with the principal for much longer." **

"And I still don't like him even though he's dead." Vlad said remembering the principal that died at the cleancing.

**It was one of a thousand things running through his mind. He certainly didn't want it to be Mrs. Bell, with her blue hair, **

"What kind of teacher has blue hair?" October asked

"That teacher does." Vlad, Meredith, and Henry both said

**crooked teeth, and equally crooked, painted-on eyebrows. For some strange reason, she always smelled like aftershave and sore-muscle cream. It really made you wonder about her after-school activities. **

"Yes, it does." The three both said again

**"Mrs. Bell took over for two weeks when Mr. Craig's brother died last year." **

**"Can't be her. She's teaching full-time at the high school now." Henry had cupped a moth in his hands and was watching it fluttering against his palms. Vlad took the last sip from his drink and set the container on the steps. Remembering the cylindrical object he'd found upstairs, he slipped it from his pocket and held it out for Henry's perusal. **

"Yeah, it's the Lucis thing." Henry said

**"Check this out. Found it up in the attic." Henry released the moth, and as he slid the object out of Vlad's palm, Vlad felt a strange urge to close his hand and pull the cylinder away. Henry turned it over in his hands, admiring the engraved symbol on the bottom. **

**"****What is it?" Vlad reached out and plucked it from Henry's hand. **

"I wonder when you two found out what it was." Otis wonder

"Maybe it'll say in a chapter." Vlad said

**"No clue." He slid it back into his pocket and felt an instant blanket of comfort surround him. **

**Henry yawned and stretched his arms up toward the night sky. He had big, dark circles under his eyes. Vlad yawned, too. Six in the morning came awfully early, and tomorrow he had the annoyance of some substitute teacher to deal with. **

"Hey!" Otis shouted as he found that offensive.

"Sorry." Vlad aplogized

"I'm not annoying!" Otis said

"We know, we know!" Vlad said. "I didn't know you were teaching then."

**With a stretch, Vlad** **moved up the steps and into the house, the promise of sleep heavy on his weary eyelids.**

"That's it." Joss said as he closed the book.

"You have a very interesting life in Nelly's house Vlad." Meredith siad

Vlad nodded. "I know."

"But then how did you get the blood bags to here then?" Joss asked

"Yeah, how did you get the bags." Otis and Henry both said

Vlad chuckled nervously. "I told the doctor that I had hemophilia, so he gave me a year supply of blood bags. He said that in case I ran out, he'll get me some more, just for Nelly's sake."

Everyone's mouths were drop opened.

"Vlad!" Otis said. "Are you nuts? How did you make up a story like that?"

"Henry gave me a few tricks for a sob story." Vlad replied

"Thank god, I thought you a lot of things." Henry said.

"After we finish all of the books Vlad, your grounded." Otis announced

"Awww, man." Vlad said

"Anyone want to read next?" Joss asked

"I will." October replied

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	6. The Search Continues

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><p><strong>"Chapter 4: The Search Continues." <strong>October read

"Great." Vlad mumbled. "Can this get any worst?"

"Yeah." Henry replied

Then Vlad looked at Henry with annoyence.

**A man dressed entirely in black looked from the crumpled newspaper photograph in his gloved hand **

"Oh it's him, Di'ablo." Vlad said

**to the boy up ahead of him who was timidly crossing the street, clutching a bag from the Stop & Shop in one hand and wearing an old thirty-five-millimeter camera around his neck. **

"Eddie." Everyone said

**Returning his attention to the photograph, the man nodded in satisfaction and moved stealthily up the street after the boy. **

"Please drink his blood!" Vlad whisper to himself

**The boy proceeded into a dark alleyway. The moon was full and high, casting a cool blue over the town of Bathory. **

"That actually sounds cool." Joss said

**Long shadows stretched across the street. The man in black stuffed the clipping back into his pocket and quickened his pace. The Stop & Shop bag hung limply from the boy's hand. With his other hand, the boy fiddled with the lens cap of his outdated camera, watching it far more closely than he watched where he was walking. The man swung around him, standing in the boy's path. It wasn't until the boy collided with the strange man that he noticed his presence. The bag fell from the boy's hand as he stumbled. "Oh jeez, sorry. I . . . I didn't see you there." **

**He smiled weakly, apologetically, up at the stranger. **

"Come on hurry up, I want some blood sucking!" Henry shouted

**The man smiled, careful to keep his fangs hidden behind closed lips. "It's quite all right. Edgar Poe, isn't it?" Eddie brushed some grime from his jeans and checked his camera for damage. "Yeah. Uh . . . well, Eddie, actually. Nobody but, uh . . . my mom calls me Edgar. **

"He must be a mama's boy." October muttered

Everyone nodded

**Why? Do I know you?" A large vein on Eddie's neck pulsed, sending a pang of hunger through the man's stomach. **

"Drink him already!" Joss shouted

**"Eddie, I was wondering if you could assist me." The boy looked wary, but he didn't run. The man slipped his hand into his pocket and withdrew the newspaper clipping. He held it up for the boy to see. "Do you recognize the boy standing next to you in this photo?" Eddie glanced at the clipping. "Uh . . . yeah. I guess. Vlad Tod, right?" **

"No it's not!" Vlad said

**The man licked his lips. The boy smelled like AB negative. **

"Rare." Otis said

**Rare. **

Henry snickered. "You just repeated what Di'ablo said."

**Delectable. **

"It actually is." Otis mentioned

**The champagne of blood types. **

Otis nodded in agreement.

**"Where could I find him?" **

**Eddie shrugged and plucked the bag from the ground. "I . . . I don't know. The junior high, I guess." **

"Don't you give him my location you son of a b-" Vlad was about to say

"Language!" Snow shouted

"Sorry. . ."

**He stepped around the man and continued down the alleyway. The man's stomach clenched once in hunger. He grabbed Eddie's shirt collar and opened his mouth wide, exposing his glistening fangs. **

"Drink him! Drink him! Drink him!" Henry, Vlad, and Joss chanted

**"Don't you walk away from me! Tell me where he is. Now." **

**Eddie's eyes widened with sudden terror. **

"Who cares what Eddie's eyes said." Vlad said. "Just drink him for the love of god!"

**"What are you?" **

"Vampire, what else dumb ass." Henry answered

**The man lifted Eddie from the ground and pulled him closer, until his fangs were just inches from Eddie's small face. "I'm the boogeyman, Edgar. **

Then everyone started laughing.

"Boogyman?" Henry questioned "really?"

"Is that all he can think of?" October choked with laugher.

**And I've come for your soul. **

"Yes, please take his soul." Snow said evily

**Now tell me where I can find Vladimir Tod." **

**At first, the only sound coming from Eddie was the drizzle of liquid dripping from his jeans to the ground below. Then Eddie screamed. **

"Drink him already!" Joss shouted

**"Edgar!" From the house at the end of the alley came a high-pitched, screeching voice that could only be Eddie's mother. **

"Dammit." Henry, Vlad, and Joss said miserably.

**"You'd better get home right now, Edgar! If I have to tell your father . . ." The man released Eddie and slipped unnoticed from the alley, regretfully walking away from a warm meal **

"You should of drink him when he had the chance." Joss said

**and the information he needed about Tomas's son.**

"That's it." October said. "The end of the chapter."

"Joss I never thought you agree with us about Eddie." Vlad said

"Well, I want that jackass dead, but now he's a vamp," Joss said "I bet he's enjoying his little happy place."

"Anyone want to read?" Snow asked

"I will." Otis replied

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	7. Otis Otis

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><p><strong>"Chapter 5: Otis Otis." <strong>Otis read. "I get to have my own chapter."

"Oh, yeah this is where you come in." Vlad said

"Yes," Otis agreed. "The first time I met you."

"Don't forget me!" Henry shouted.

Meredith cleared her throat.

"And her too!" Henry added.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget," Otis said as he smirked to himself.

**Vlad adjusted the sunglasses on his nose and walked up the steps to the school. He was thankful to have Henry with him. **

"Very thankful." Vlad added

**For some reason, the bullies kept their distance whenever Henry was around. **

"That's becaues I am popular!" Henry shouted with joy

**Bill and Tom moved past them on the steps, but neither said a word. Principal Snelgrove was waiting at the top of the stairs, eyeing Vlad with his little mouse eyes. He twitched his nose, and Vlad chuckled out loud. The principal had hated Vlad since the first day he had been enrolled at Bathory. **

"And now he's dead." Henry said. "and Oris is the new principal of Bathory High School!"

**Bill and Tom had given him a welcoming shove down the hall, and Vlad bumped into Mrs. Kumus, who fell forward and subsequently broke her nose. It had been an accident, of course, but ever since that day, Principal Snelgrove had watched Vlad with his suspicious little rodent stare and twitched his nose distrustfully. **

"You know I should of give him the piece of my mind when I had the chance." Henry said. "I would of teach him a lesson to hate me instead of a gothy vamp teenager."

"I am not a gothy vamp teenager!" Vlad protested

**Henry smiled as they passed the mouse man. "Good morning, Mr. Snelgrove." Principal Snelgrove nodded, his eyes barely leaving Vlad before they'd returned again. "You'd do well to emulate your friend here, Mr. Tod." When they passed him, Vlad suppressed another chuckle. Mr. Snelgrove smelled like cheese. **

"I think he's a rat himself." October said

"I'm with you there." Henry said

**At Mr. Craig's classroom door, Henry bid Vlad good-bye and wandered off down the hall. It was strange having different teachers this year, but they still sat together at lunch, goofed their way through study hall,**

"And detention." Vlad added

**and walked home together after school. It wasn't as much time together as either would prefer, but it would have to do. Vlad crossed the threshold of Room 6 and held his breath for a second, hoping that when he looked at the teacher's desk, he wouldn't see anyone trying to emulate crabby Mrs. Bell by glaring at him from behind her cat-eye-shaped glasses. **

"If she's a cat then she should chase Mr. Snelgrove into the halls and eat him up!" Henry said

**To Vlad's relief, the desk was unoccupied. He walked to the back left corner of the class and, after dropping his backpack beside his desk, sat down with a weary sigh. Whoever had decided that school should start so early in the morning and last all day long needed to be hunted down and forced to watch hours of educational television without the aid of caffeine. **

"I'm with you there brother." Henry and Joss said

**Meredith **

Meredtih blushed when her name was mentioned.

_Don't kill her! Don't kill her! _Snow thought in her mind as she fought she hear the name of Vlad's ex-girlfriend.

**entered the room, brightening Vlad's day with the endearing smile on her face. **

Snow dug her nails into her skin trying not to either kill Vlad or Meredith.

Joss was curious of Vlad's describtion of his girlfreind.

**She was chatting with Kara Metley, one of her two best friends. Melissa Hart was the missing link today. **

"You said as if it was a good thing." Meredtih said

"Maybe it is." Vlad said

Joss agreed with him. He too doesn't like Melissa that much.

**They were normally an inseparable trio, **

"True." Everyone said

**but Melissa had been placed in Mr. Crumble's class this year, with Henry—**

October fumed. "What was that last part?"

"Nothing." Henry said nervously and whisper. "Please don't kill me."

**an arrangement that suited Henry perfectly, **

"What do you mean 'perfectly?'" October asked as she added air quotes

Henry stayed quite.

**as he had developed a secret crush on Melissa at last year's Snow Ball, when she slapped a boy for trying to kiss her. Henry was a strange boy. **

October glared at Henry for the longest time making everyone nervous to continue the story.

"Come on Oct, it was only a crush." Henry said

"I'll see it when I belive it." October said

**Meredith glanced at Vlad, **

Joss lookded at Meredtih and Snow's eyes turned irredessent green. Vlad took a one huge scoot back just in case if there was going to be a fight between those girls.

**who shrank back in his seat and hoped she hadn't noticed he'd been watching her, **

Meredith blushed

"Watching her eh?" Snow asked

"No I wasn't!" Vlad protested. "I was um admiring her from the far."

"Yeah right." Snow said

**and then sat at her desk. As if on cue, Kara sauntered over to his desk and dropped a note in front of him with a smile. **

"Oh, I remember this." Meredith said

**She turned and took her place behind Meredith. Vlad's heart took up residence in his throat. He unfolded the sheet of paper with what he considered to be casual grace and tried his best to decipher Kara's scrolling, feminine handwriting. **

I think it's too feminine." Joss said

**The note's single question drove a large splinter into Vlad's self-esteem. It was short, sharp, and caused Vlad great pain. **

"What pain?" Henry asked

**Does Henry like Meredith? **

"You liked Meredith?" October asked him in anger

Henry roared with laughter. "Is Kara nuts or what? I only like Meredith as a friend."

"Good." October said happily

**Ouch. **

"Now you know how I feel when I found out she likes you." Joss said

"I didn't know you liked her until eleventh grade, man!" Vlad protested

**And there was a tiny heart over the i in Meredith's name. **

"Mega ouch." Joss said instead

**Double ouch. **

"Oh, whatever it's still the same." Joss said

**He folded the paper back up and slipped it into the front pocket of his backpack. He'd answer it later when he had a clearer head and a lighter heart. **

"Or?" Henry said as if this might go on

**Or . . . maybe he'd just forget he ever saw it. **

Henry nodded. "That's right. Forget you saw it!"

"Genry you know this was way back then right?" Vlad asked

"Shut up, man!"

**The door to the classroom swung open, and seconds later a tall, thin man wearing a rumpled purple top hat**

Otis smiled as the hat reminded him of nelly when she gave him the ugly hat.

**and a three-piece suit walked in. **

"Why do teachers have to wear formal clothes?" Henry asked. "We should have a cool teacher that wears awsome clothing!"

Then all of the students agreeed, while Otis was glaring at them.

**Under his black jacket he wore a pewter-colored vest over a crisp white shirt. Hanging from the vest's pocket was a gold pocket-watch chain. In his hand he carried an old leather doctor's bag. **

"Why not a suit case?" Henry asked "It's better."

"Henry, let Mr. Otis perfer what he wants to bring." Meredtih said. "Also don't interrputed anymore."

Hrny rolled his eyes and stick out his tounge at her

**After dropping his bag on the teacher's desk, he turned to the class with a bright smile. His blue eyes twinkled. "Good morning, class. I'm Mr. Otis, and I will be substituting for Mr. Craig during his absence. As my first name is the same as my last, **

"You know after you said that, it was very wierd to all of us." Vlad mentioned

Otis smiled. "I know and it is true about my name."

**you may call me by either, providing the obligatory title 'mister' precedes your choice." Mr. Otis looked about the classroom, as if waiting for someone to interrupt him. When no one did, he cleared his throat and continued. "It's unfortunate that we've been brought together under these circumstances, as Mr. Craig was . . ." **

"You knew what happned to him didn't you?" Vlad asked

Otis nodded. "Yes, but at least I didn't say he was dead."

Meredith nodded. "True."

**He made a clucking sound with his tongue and sat on the corner of the desk. ". . . is . . . such a fine and clearly admired teacher. **

"He is." Vlad, Henry, and Meredtih all said

**But as regrettable as the situation is, I will do my best to inform and educate you in an entertaining manner." **

**Ever curious, Kara raised her hand. She didn't wait to be called on, but rather made her presence known with a question. "Do you know Mr. Craig?" **

**Mr. Otis paused for a moment, wet his lips, and said, "I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure." Kara wasn't quite done with her assault and, with a toss of her hair, asked, "How long have you been a teacher?" **

**"A long time." **

"Very long." Vlad and Joss both said

"No, very, very, very, very, very long." Henry corrected them

"Okay we know how very old I am okay!" Otis said in irritation

**He turned his back to the class and began rummaging through his bag. When he turned back, his smiled had eased. He was holding what looked like a seating chart—a checkerboard of students' names. "Very long indeed. Most recently I was a full-time mythology teacher at Stokerton High, but I've taught a variety of subjects all over the world." **

"Is there other countries you haven't been?" Meredtih asked

Otis shook his head. "No, I've been all over all of the counrtries."

**Out of curiosity, Vlad raised his hand, but before he could lift it more than a few inches above his desk, Mr. Otis nodded to him. Vlad dropped his hand. "So you teach English, too?" **

**"No. Well, that is to say, not until today." He reached into his bag again and withdrew a stack of papers. He divided the stack into fifths and dropped them on the desks in the front of the classroom. Familiar with the routine, the students took one paper and passed the rest back. "But no worries. I've already come up with a lesson plan that I'm sure you'll find both informative and entertaining." **

**Chelsea Whitaker didn't bother to turn around in her seat; she merely flung the last paper in the stack over her shoulder at Vlad. The paper flipped in the air and fluttered to the floor. Vlad picked it up and gave the bottom of Chelsea's seat a light kick before scanning the page, which was a list of assignments and something called "special classroom goals." **

"Really?" Henry questioned Otis

"What?" Otis asked. "That's what I always do to get to know the students."

**There were dates typed neatly beside each assignment. Vlad wrinkled his forehead. The dates went all the way to the end of the school year. How long did this guy think he was staying? **

"More than a year." Otis replied

**Kara apparently had the same thought, as her hand shot into the air again. "How long will you be teaching us?" **

**Mr. Otis scanned the class, his eyes serious. He didn't speak. **

"Until when he tlks to Vlad about him being the Pravus." Henry said

**Chelsea hissed in Kara's direction, "Don't be stupid. He'll be here until Mr. Craig comes back." **

"He's not coming back." October said

**"You mean if he comes back." **

**The entire class fell silent at Meredith's words. **

"Do you reall have to say that?" Vlad asked. "You got everyone freaked out there."

"Hey, they said he was missing." Meredith protested

"She's right, he was missing, but he was actually dead." Joss said

**It wasn't disbelief that held their tongues, but amazement that someone had the guts to say aloud what they all feared. **

"Thank you." Meredith said to Vlad. "At least someone thinks I have guts than a certian boyfriend of mine that said that a few months ago."

Joss's mouth opened. "You're still mad about that? Jeez, Meredith I said I was sorry!"

**Meredith's cheeks flushed and she brushed a tear from the corner of her eye. **

Snow rolled her eyes, muttering, "Suck up."

**Kara reached out and patted her hand after flashing Chelsea a glare. Mr. Otis cleared his throat again, drawing everyone's attention. **

**"Chelsea is quite right." **

"Well of course she was." Henry and Joss said

**Of course she was. **

"Now that's just creepy." Henry said

Joss nodded.

**Chelsea was captain of the Cheer Squad. **

"A suck up cheer squad." October added

**She was right about everything . . . or thought she was, anyway. **

"She always that she was smart at almost everything." Meredith said. "Even though she's not."

**Vlad was pretty sure Chelsea wasn't bright enough to even find her way to school each day without the assistance of her pom-pom-carrying friends and the promise of being drooled over by every thickheaded jock in the school. **

"Of course." Henry cried. "We saw that about like 24 hours a day!"

**Mr. Otis glanced in Vlad's general direction, **

"You knew who I was when you walked into the classroom, huh?" Vlad asked Otis

Otis nodded. "Yes. I was curious on my list that you were just a normal boy that has the last name Todd, but I was wrong."

**plucked his watch from his vest, and flipped it open. He closed it with a snap and returned it to his pocket. **

**"I will teach here for as long as I am needed and only as long as your teacher, Mr. Craig, remains missing. If that matter is settled, we can move on to our lesson plan." **

**He turned to the chalkboard and drew a series of unrecognizable squiggles that were supposed to be, Vlad surmised, key points about the assignments they'd be working on. **

**"As your teacher normally assigns you essays to test your composition skills, I will do the same. However, as I've already explained to Principal Snelgrove, I will be combining this task with my area of expertise—mythology. **

"I wish I was there." Henry mumbled.

"Dude, that was like years ago!" Vlad said. "Get over it!"

**Each week we will study a different mythological creature, and at the end of the year, should you still be blessed with my presence, there will be a test on composition, grammar, punctuation—and mythology." **

**Vlad squinted at the board. One of the words looked something like dimagom, but that couldn't be right. The next looked a bit like weneranlvs. Vlad squinted harder and then looked at the paper in his hands. At the bottom was a list of mythological creatures. The first was dragons. He looked back at the board: dimagom. That could be dragons, he supposed. **

"Actually it was dragons." Otis said

**And weneranlvs **

"Huh?" Henry asked

"Werewolves." Joss replied

**looked suspiciously like the next word on the list: werewolves. **

"See?" Joss said

"Shut up, cuz!" Henry snapped

**Forgoing Mr. Otis's atrocious handwriting, Vlad read down the list. **

**Unicorns, **

"Cute!" Meredith giggled in delight

"Uhhh." the boys said, while Snow and October rolled their eyes

**griffins, **

Everyone smiled excepted for Meredith.

**centaurs, **

"At least their wise." Henry said

"Um, Henry only Chiron the wise centaur is the wisest amoung the centaurs." Otis mentioned

**faeries, **

"Fairies?" Joss asked

"I think so." Vlad replied. "It was hard to read Otis's handwriting."

**gnomes, **

"For the garden." October said

**trolls, **

"Yuck!" Meredith said

"I think there cool." Snow said

**mermaids, **

"There awsome." Meredith said

"Well I think there boring." Snow said

**nymphs, **

Everyone nodded to that.

"I do like nymphs." Otis said. "They are very interesting to learn about. There the daughters of Poseidon."

"There almost look like mermaids, but they look like humans." Meredith said

**banshees, **

**zombies, **

Meredith shuddered, while Snow, October, Henry, and Vlad smiled.

**witches, **

"I think I did a report of that." Meredith mentioned.

"I think you did." Vlad said. "I'm not sure."

**vampires . . . **

"I see where this is going." Henry said as he smirked at Vlad.

**Vlad stopped at the word vampires and smirked. It ought to be interesting to hear what the rest of the class thought of him. **

"We actually did." Meredith said

**Well, most of them, anyway. There were a few whose opinions he couldn't care less about. In front of him, Chelsea was snickering at a note Sylvia Snert had passed her. **

"Oh, I remember this!" Meredith said

So do I." Otis said with a smirk.

**Across the top of the page was scrawled Sylvia's loopy handwriting. This guy is a freak! **

"I am not a freak!" Otis shouted

**Chelsea whipped out her pen and scribbled something down on the note, but her shoulder blocked Vlad's view. **

"Eavesdroppper." Snow and Meredith both said

Vlad raise an eyebrow. They actually agree on that part.

**Chelsea held the note out to Sylvia. Without a word, Mr. Otis slipped down the aisle between their desks and retrieved it. He stood in front of her and unfolded it, reading it silently with no hint of a reaction in his eyes.**

"After class do you have your reaction?" Henry asked

"Maybe, maybe not." Otis replied

**To Vlad's amazement, he turned and dropped the note on Sylvia's desk, returning to the front of the classroom as if nothing had happened. **

"You should see everyone's face after hegave back the note to Sylvia." Vlad said

**"I realize that it will be a challenge for all of us to adapt to our new circumstances. Some of you may adjust more easily than others. Some of you"—he smiled at Sylvia as she read Chelsea's note—"may think I'm a freak. **

"No your not." Everoyne said

"Your my freaky uncle." Vlad said

Otis glared at Vlad.

**While others"—his eyes moved to Chelsea, who was blushing brighter than the sun—**

Henry snickered. "Come on, I want to see what she wrote!"

**"may think I'm intriguing. Hot, some might say." **

Henry burst out laughing. "Hot? Why would anyone think that Otis is hot, besides Nelly!"

Then Otis felt offended.

**Mr. Otis raised his eyebrows. Laughter burst from the classroom, and Chelsea's face blushed even brighter.**

"That must be very embrassing for her." Henry said, "Vlad let me borrow this book for blackmail!"

"No!" Vlad shouted

**"But whatever you think of me so far, please try to keep an open mind, and if there is any way at all that I may be of assistance to you, please, don't hesitate to approach me." His eyes met Vlad's for a second and then moved across the room. **

"You know you can stop making eye contact with me." Vlad said. "You knew who I was you don't have to kept staring at me becaues I was Tomas's son."

"I was just shock that you look exactly like him." Otis said

**"Now, as I understand it, you are overdue for a pop quiz on punctuation." **

"You really have to ruin it right?" Henry asked

Otis nodded. "Yes, I did."

**The class let out a collective groan. **

"SEe even they agree with me!" Henry said happily.

**After a coma-inducing lecture on the metric system from Mr. Harold and a blissfully short video presentation in Miss Meir's biology class on "The Secret Life of Ferns," Vlad shoved his books into his already full locker, grabbed his sack lunch, and slammed the door closed. **

**"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the coffin." **

"Gee I wonder how siad that?" October said with no surprise

Everyone turned their heads to Henry.

"Yeah, right that's not me!" Henry said as he won't admit it.

**Henry **

"See?" October smirked

Henry pouted

**was standing two lockers down, wearing an enormous grin. ****Vlad snarled, suppressing a chuckle. **

**"That may be the most obnoxious thing you've ever said to me." **

"It is." Vlad said agreeing with himself

**"I aim to please." **

"Yes you are." Everyone said

**Henry dropped his books inside his locker. "What's going on?" **

**"Not much. No homework so far." **

**"Me neither, but I'm pretty sure ol' Batty is going to drop a quiz on us." Vlad groaned. Batilda Motley, their eighth-grade history teacher, gave the hardest quizzes of anyone in the known universe. **

"You right about that." Meredith agreeing with Vlad

"But there easy for you!" Vlad protested.

"At least I read the book while you didn't." Meredith said

**"That's all I need. I just had one in English class." They headed down the hall toward the lunchroom.**

**Henry's eyes kept darting between Vlad and every semi-attractive girl that passed them in the hall. **

October fumed and she leaped on Henry and started to strangle him.

"You son of a b-" October was about to say, but she got interrupted by Vlad who got her off of Henry and put her next to Snow.

"Make sure she doesn't strangle me." Henry said to Snow

"I won't promise that." Snow said with a slight smirked

**Vlad ignored him, so Henry resorted to nudging him and pointing. ****"How's the new teacher, anyway?" **

**Vlad shrugged. "He's okay." **

"What was that supposed to mean?" Otis asked

"Nothing." Vlad replied

**The lunchroom was already full by the time they got there, and as they entered, Principal Snelgrove grunted his displeasure. Vlad followed Henry through the lunch line and listened to him ramble about how busy he was going to be over winter break. His parents had finally agreed to take him and his brother on a weeklong ski trip **

"And it was awsome!" Henry sanged

**and it seemed to be occupying most of the free space in Henry's head. Henry looked at the food on his tray with a scowl. **

**"I don't care what they call it. This doesn't look like pizza. It's green!" **

"Pizza does have green peppers." October pointed out.

"But that kind of pizza was actually green." Henry said. "Here in college, their pizza is not green!"

**Vlad shrugged, holding up his crumpled brown sack. "Could be worse." **

"He's right." Otis said

**Nelly always made him the same thing for lunch. He couldn't complain—not really. Vampires didn't have much of a selection when it came to ways to hide nutrients in ordinary, everyday food. **

Otis nodded in agreement.

**Each day brought with it the same peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and either a couple of Twinkies or a Hostess chocolate cupcake—all discreetly filled with small capsules that Nelly had carefully injected with blood. **

"Sounds good." Snow said

"Wouldn't people wonder why there's red frosting?" Joss asked

Vlad shook his head. "No they think it's red velvet frosting."

**No one ever noticed that Vlad's lunch contained any extra surprises, but a few people had offered in the past to trade him a slice of pizza or some fries for one of his Twinkies. **

"You should've give it to them." Henry said. "It would be seriously funny when they see the blood!"

**Vlad had refused as politely as he could, reminding himself that while his lunch might be dull, it was better than his elementary school years, when he'd met his mom in the parking lot for lunch. Drinking blood out of a cooler could make you feel like such a mama's boy. **

"You mean a half vampire mama's boy?" Henry pointed out

"Whatever." Vlad said. "it was still the same

**Henry led the way to their usual table near the door. When they passed Meredith, Vlad dared to smile at her. **

"Oh really?" Snow said

Vlad gulped muttering to himself. "Please don't hurt, me please don't me."

**But his smile was fleeting. Vlad fell forward. He clutched his lunch against his chest, and when he hit the floor, he could feel the capsules inside his sandwich burst. **

"You got to admit that was funny." Henry said.

"Henry you weren't laughing." Vlad mentioned

". . ."

**Laughter erupted behind him, but Vlad didn't bother looking. It could be none other than Bill or Tom who'd tripped him, **

"Jerks." Everyone muttered

**and if Meredith was laughing too, he didn't want to know. **

"I wasn't laughing." Meredith said

"Oh, okay." Vlad said smiling to himself

**With Henry's assistance, he stood and grumbled at the red-stained, flattened sack. **

"That's not a good sign." Otis said

**A round glob of jelly and blood clung to the front of his shirt. **

"Well at least you get a new shirt." Snow said

"I'm not sure about that part, Snow." October said

**He picked the bag up and tossed it into the nearest garbage bin, still grumbling as he stepped into the hall. **

**"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Tod?" Principal Snelgrove wrinkled his rodentlike nose, as if Vlad didn't smell very pleasant. **

"Sometimes I'm glad he's dead." Vlad said

**Vlad pulled the front of his shirt out for the principal to see. "I fell on my lunch, so I'm going to the office to call my aunt." **

**"There's no need for that. Charge a hot lunch today." Vlad ran the tip of his tongue over his canine teeth **

"You have dog teeth?" Henry asked excitedly. "Cool, my friend's a werewolf!"

"Henry that was an expression." Vlad grumbled as he plamed his face

"Oh."

**and darted his eyes toward the door. "What about my shirt?" **

**Snelgrove snorted and clasped his hands behind his back. "There are only twenty minutes left of lunch, Mr. Tod. I suggest you hurry." **

**Vlad opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he saw Snelgrove stepping closer to the door, as if Vlad might try to make a break for it. At a loss for polite words, Vlad went back to where Henry was sitting and sat across from him. **

**Henry wrinkled his nose at the stain on Vlad's shirt. "I can't believe he's not going to let you call Nelly." **

"Another good thing why I'm glad he's dead." Vlad said

**Vlad pressed his cheek against his upturned hand and leaned on his elbow. His stomach rumbled. He laid his head on the table. It was going to be a very long afternoon. There was a crinkling sound as half a sandwich was dropped in front of him. ****Vlad sighed. **

**"You know eating that won't help." **

"Gee I wonder who said that." Snow sneered

**He lifted his head to a smiling Meredith, who apparently hadn't heard his grumble. **

**"You can have half of my sandwich, Vlad." She blushed as she glanced over at Henry, and despite the deep, calming breath he took, Vlad's heart raced. **

Snow growled a little. Joss wondered how Meredith, a pink popular girl liked Vlad.

**Vlad tried to speak, but that's almost impossible to do when your heart is lodged in your trachea. **

"What's a trachea?" Henry asked as he joked

Everyone looked at him.

"Seriously?" October asked

"Kidding!" Henry shouted. "I know what a trachea is."

**Henry came to the rescue. "Thanks, Meredith." **

**Her smile broadened and she turned away. Her skirt swished about her knees. Vlad felt nauseous. He smacked Henry's forearm with the back of his hand, but not as lightly as he'd intended. **

**"What are you doing?" **

"It's called being polite, dork!" Henry replied

**"It's called being polite, dork." **

"Now that sounds really wierd." Henry said

**Henry unwrapped Meredith's sandwich and took a bite. **

"Henry!" Meredith shouted. "That was for Vlad!"

"That was before you knew he was a vampire!" Henry protested

"He does have to have blood in all of his meals." Otis pointed out.

**He swallowed, looking satisfied with its taste. Vlad scowled, wishing for a moment that he was human. **

"Really?" Joss asked amazed

"What do you think I wished, Joss?" Vlad questioned. "You wanted me to wish to be a full vampire?"

"No, I never thought vampires wished to be human." Joss replied

"Some wanted to be human." Otis said. "Some don't."

**"I was going to talk. I just needed a minute." **

"Cough*Yeah right* Cough." Henry said

Vlad glared at his friend.

**Luckily, Henry didn't ask what he needed a minute to do, because Vlad really had no idea. **

"Really?" Henry whined

"Yes." Vlad said in a lazy voice. "now shut up, Henry!"

**To Vlad's surprise, his fangs stayed safely tucked into the soft tissue of his gums all through history class and study hall. **

"Well, that's good." October said

**His stomach rumbled loudly as he entered Room 6, his homeroom as well as his English classroom, at the end of the day. **

"DUN, DUN, DUN!" Henry shouted

"What was that for?" Vlad asked

"Dramatic effect." Henry replied with a smile.

"Why?"

"Becaues I felt like it."

"..."

" :)"

_When did Henry get so random?, _Vlad thought.

**But his fangs stayed put and the bell eventually rang, releasing him from the oppression that was junior high. **

**Henry had waved to Vlad on his way to another student council meeting, so Vlad hung out near his locker after the bell. Vlad didn't even see Tom and Bill **

"Oh no." Snow said

**coming before Tom had a handful of Vlad's shirt twisted into his fist. Tom's breath smelled like peppermint, which wasn't altogether unpleasant. **

"Why would he need peppermint for?" October asked. "It's not like he's on a date with a girl after school."

"He never gets a girlfriend at all." Henry said. "Everytime after the first date, the girl gives him a fake phone number."

"I don't blame them." The girls said

**Behind him, Bill was huffing up his shoulders and looking both ways down the hall for anyone who might interfere. **

"I wished someone was there to interfere." Vlad said

**"What are you waiting for, goth boy?" **

"Goth boy?" Snow questioned. "even that's the worst name calling I ever heard."

"What do you want them to call me?" Vlad aksed. "Blood Sucker?"

"Now that's a good nickname." Henry commet.

**Tom shook Vlad once before pressing him hard against the locker. **

"I wish I was there with you." Henry said in sympathy.

"I don't need any help to deal with them." Vlad said

**Vlad was trying his best not to open his mouth—not for fear of what he might say, but because he could feel a gnawing urge to bite Tom out of spite. **

"This might be the first time I'll say this, but I would rather see you bite Tom and Bill." Joss said

**He ran his tongue over his teeth and found his fangs poking out, reacting to the subtle scent of blood rushing beneath Tom's skin. **

"Just bite him already man!" Henry and Joss both shouted

October laughed while Meredith glared at Joss.

**"I'm not goth." **

"That's right," Vlad said

"You know you _are _goth right?" Snow questioned

"I'm not goth!" Vald repeated himself

**Tom pulled him away from the locker and slammed him up against it again, sending a loud clang into the hall. **

**"What?" Vlad straightened his shoulders. **

**"I said I'm not goth." **

"Dude you wore dark clothing," Henry pointed out. "Even at colleg people still think that."

Joss nodded. "Yesh, I thought at first you were goth, but then later on I found out you were a vamp.

"I just like the color black!" Vlad protested. "I'm not goth!

**Tom looked back at Bill, who rolled his eyes. **

"See, even they argeed," all the college students said.

Vald growled at them.

**When Tom turned back to Vlad, his eyes were rolling, too. **

**"You goth sack of crap. **

"Let me have him!" Snow shouted with fiery

**Don't even know you're goth!" **

"That's what we all said." Henry said

**Not that Vlad had anything against being goth, really. He'd seen the goth kids hanging around the steps of Bathory High at night, cloaked in black and looking for a way out of small-town life. They weren't so different from him, **

"How?" Joss, Snow, and October questioned him.

"I think it'll say it," Vlad said

**with their black hair, black clothes, and dark humor. In fact, Vlad had secretly wished he would be lucky enough someday to find friends that seemed so like him. **

"What is that supposed to mean?" Henry cried.

"I mean that I wanted to be friends with people who are not vamps, but only goths," Vlad explained. "Besides it was really hard being in your shadows.

**Henry was great, **

"Of course I am!" Henry said cherrfully

**but sometimes it was really hard being his shadow. **

"That's kind of creepy becaues you said that a few seconds ago," Henry comment.

**Tom shook him again, apparently not satisfied that Vlad wasn't quivering with fear. **

"Well duh!" Henry shouted. "He's the creature of the night."

"Dumbasses," Joss muttered.

**But Vlad, despite preferring almost everything else to spending a moment with Tom, wasn't feeling very afraid. In fact, he wasn't feeling afraid at all. **

"Who would be afirad of them?" Henry questioned

**He was feeling . . . hungry. **

"Oh, shit," Otis muttered. "This isn't good."

"I didn't bite them!" Vlad shouted

"We wish you did," The others all said

**Holding his breath, Vlad pushed with his mind. Then, with a strange, dizzying rush of blood to his head, he began to feel completely irritated. **

"Even in your thoughts you thought of blood!" Otis exclaimed. "I need to take you to therapy."

"No you don't!" Vlad snapped. "I've got it completely controlled."

"Uh-huh," Everyone muttered

**What was this kid's problem, anyway? Why wasn't he crying and begging to be let go? And what was he staring at? **

"You're fricken neck!" Henry and Joss answered

"You know Vlad is reading this mind, right?" Otis poitned out.

"..."

"..."

**Tom glanced over his shoulder at Bill, who merely shrugged. **

"Stupid as hell," Snow whispered

**He pulled back his fist. **

"Are you still reading his thoughts?" Joss asked

Vlad only gave him a smirk.

"I'll take that as a yes."

**One quick punch would do it, and then he could slip down the hall to his mom's waiting car. Mom would be a real pain if he was late for ballet. **

Everyone roared with laughter.

"Vlad, you're the best ," Henry said. "This is gold!"

"He takes...ballet?" Joss sputtered

Snow laughed. "Now this is what I called embaressing!"

Meredith and Otis merely chuckled.

**He hated dance. **

"Who doesnt?" All the boys said

The girls glared at them.

**All those froufrou boys and the stupid leotard. But she kept making him go—three years apparently hadn't been enough. **

Henry snickered. "Three years? Man, I can't wait for our high school reunion!"

**At least Bill didn't know. **

"Not for looonnnngggg!" Henry sang

"Shut up, you sing bad!" Vlad and Joss both shouted

"No, I'm a good singer, tell them October," Henry said

"Yeah, you are," October said weakly.

Henry crossed his arms and pouted.

**Bill thought he was going to his uncle's every Friday to learn how to make pipe bombs. **

"That's a stupid lie, there," Otis said. "Back in my day, we use great lies!"

**If he knew the truth . . . **

"But he'll know soon," Vlad said

**Vlad smirked and felt his mind pull out of Tom's thoughts. It had been easy. Maybe it was the hunger that made it easy. **

"Nope, it's your powers," Otis replied.

"I know that now!" Vlad said

**Without a glance at Tom's fist, he whispered, "You'd better hurry, ballerina boy. You wouldn't want to be late." **

Everyone laughed.

"Dude, I got to take you to boxing so we can hear the boxers' thoughts!" Henry suggested. "It'll be sweet!"

"I'll think about it." Vlad said

"It's a yes anyway," Henry said.

**Tom blinked. He lowered his fist and looked back at Bill, who was punching his palm and eyeing Vlad. Vlad's smirk spread into a smile. **

"Here it comes!" Henry shouted. "REVENGE!

**"What would Bill say if he knew you were dancing around in tights with other guys? Think he'd be open-minded? Understanding?" **

"I wonder what did Bill think..." Meredith wondered

"I bet Tom made another lie to Bill so he doesn't think that he's taking ballet." Vlad replied

**Vlad followed Tom's gaze to Bill, who'd stopped practicing on his fist and was looking at Tom expectantly. Vlad pressed his lips together, despite the gnawing urge to flash his fangs. **

"You should control your fangs," Otis said.

"I do know!" Vlad said

**Tom relaxed his grip on Vlad's shirt and stepped back. He grabbed Bill's sleeve and they moved down the hall, away from Vlad. **

"You know Tom's revenge will come soon." Henry pointed out.

"Gee you just realized that?" Vlad asked sarcastically

**Bill was whispering questions, but Tom silenced him with a shove. **

"Bill will find out anyway." Joss said.

**In the window across from where he stood, Vlad caught his reflection. He looked paler, older, and positively fierce. **

"Yep, that's Vlad alright!" Henry declaed. "That's his true aperance!"

"No, it's not!" Vlad barked at him.

"Well, I think it's awsome." Snow said

"I change my mind, I like what the book said." Vlad said quickly.

**He smiled, revealing his perfect white fangs. **

**It had turned out to be a day after all.**

"And of course it did!" Vlad added.

"That was interesting." Joss said.

"Come on, I want to see the next chapter!" Henry shouted.

"Anyone want to read?" Otis asked.

"I will," Meredith said. "I just hope I don't get a murderous chapter."

* * *

><p><strong>Killerninja123: Review Plz!<strong>


	8. Sad Author's Note

**Killerninja123:**

**Hey, I know I haven't update for a long time because of high school homework and all, **

**but today I heard on the news and in Connecticut, **

**20 little elementry students and 6 teachers died because of a gunman at school. Plus it was 2 weeks before Christmas too.**

**If you heard the news, please send you prayers to those cute little kids. They were only first graders after all.**

**If you haven't heard the newws, please tell your friends and family about this tradegy and be thankful of what you have right now.**

**Those who lives in Connecticut and if you were the ones who loss your little siblings in this tragedy, I give you my prayers and hope you can get through this terror that happened.**

**- Killerninja123**


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